ESL ESL - Wakefield - News, Views and Crews

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Wakefield Trinity have signed Liam Hood and Tom Lineham from fellow Super League sides Leigh Centurions and Warrington Wolves respectively.

Hood has penned a two-year deal, while Lineham has signed until the end of 2024.

Lineham, 28, lifted the Challenge Cup with Warrington in 2012, also helping the club make two Grand Final appearances.

Meanwhile, Reece Lyne and Brad Walker have signed new deals with Trinity.

Lyne, 28, will extend his eight-year stay at Belle Vue until the end of 2025.

Walker will remain in red, white and blue until the end of 2022, having joined from Widnes Vikings in 2020.

 

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Betfred Super League
Wakefield (34) 44
Tries: Senior, Batchelor, Tanginoa 2, Miller, Fifita, Hampshire, Kay Goals: Lino 5, Fifita
Hull FC (0) 12
Tries: Vulikijapani, Connor Goals: Connor 2

Wakefield finished their Super League season in style with a big victory over Hull FC at the Mobile Rocket Stadium.

Trinity were 34-0 up at half-time with a six-try demolition of the visitors, Mason Lino kicking five conversions.

 

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Wakefield Trinity second rower James Batchelor has signed a new deal to remain with the Super League club until the end of the 2022 season.

The 23-year-old came through the club's academy and went on to make his senior debut during the 2016 season.

 

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Winger Lee Kershaw has signed a new two-year deal at Wakefield Trinity, to run to the end of the 2023 season.

The 22-year-old scored five tries in 19 games during 2021, before picking up an anterior cruciate ligament injury late on in the year.

Kershaw, who has also had loan stints at Oldham, scored on his debut against Leeds in 2019 and made himself a regular fixture in 2021.

 

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Half-back Ryan Hampshire has left Wakefield Trinity after failing to agree terms on a new deal beyond 2021.

The 26-year-old had a similar issue last season - leaving the club before re-signing - and going on to make 13 appearances, scoring five tries.

Hampshire, a boyhood Wakefield fan, played 85 Trinity games in total, scoring 28 tries and kicking 129 goals.

 

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Wakefield Trinity have re-signed former scholarship centre Corey Hall from Leeds Rhinos on a two-year deal.

The 19-year-old, who made four first-grade appearances for Leeds, will provide Willie Poching with an extra option in the three-quarters.

Hall, who previously played for England Academy and Wigan, also had a short stint with York in 2021 as Headingley opportunities were limited.

 

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Wakefield Trinity have signed prop forward Jai Whitbread on a one-year deal from recently relegated side Leigh Centurions.

The 23-year-old made 30 appearances in the NRL for Gold Coast Titans before joining Leigh late last season.

 

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Wakefield Trinity have been granted planning permission to overhaul the Be Well Support Stadium, known as Belle Vue, by Wakefield Council.

The approval was given by the Planning and Highways Committee at their monthly meeting on Thursday.

Under the plans, Trinity will replace the existing east stand, building a two-storey, 2,507-seat stand.

Trinity will also repair and resurface the north terrace, restoring it to full 3,500 capacity.

 

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Betfred Super League
Warrington (18) 22
Tries: Ashton, King, Walker, Thewlis Goals: Ratchford 3
Wakefield (18) 38
Tries: Hood, Crowther, Hall, Ashurst, Lino, Escare Goals: Lino 7

Matty Ashurst marked his 150th Wakefield appearance with a try as they stunned Warrington in a see-saw match.

Ashurst was one of six try-scorers for Wakefield, who registered their first away win over the Wire since 2014.

Mason Lino posted 18 of his side's points, with a second-half try and kicking record of seven from seven.

It was a third successive Super League defeat for Warrington, who led twice but were unable to match the visitors' second-half display.

Warrington were fast out of the traps, scoring on their first possession as the pacey Matty Ashton spotted a gap and burst from inside his own half, scything through the visitors' defence to touch down.

Tinirau Arona's smart offload enabled Liam Hood to muscle his way over the line for the Wildcats' first try of the game but Toby King restored Warrington's lead, running onto a clever short kick by George Williams.

Jacob Miller set up Jordan Crowther for a close-range try on the back of Wakefield pressure and the visitors edged ahead for the first time when slick passing on the left sent teenage centre Corey Hall clear in the corner.

 

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Wakefield Trinity are waiting on further details about the groin injury that ruled winger Tom Johnstone out of Sunday's defeat by Toulouse.

The 26-year-old has 91 tries in 119 games since his 2015 debut, a number that would be higher but for injury.

As well as two anterior cruciate ligament lay-offs, he has had elbow and concussion issues in recent years.

 

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Wakefield Trinity winger Tom Johnstone has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a groin injury.

The 26-year-old underwent surgery earlier this week.

 

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Betfred Super League
Hull FC (6) 12
Tries: McNamara, Longstaff, Satae Goals: Gale 3
Wakefield (16) 26
Tries: Murphy 3, Kershaw, Hood Goals: Lino 3

Wakefield Trinity gave their survival hopes another big boost as they backed up last weekend's stunning victory over Wigan by winning at Hull FC.

Winger Lewis Murphy scored three of Wakefield's five tries, aided by scores for Lee Kershaw and Liam Hood.

The Black and Whites' three tries came from Ben McNamara in the first half, then Ellis Longstaff and Chris Satae.

Wakefield, now six points clear of bottom club Toulouse, have moved within four points of ninth-placed Hull.

 

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Wakefield Trinity have parted with head coach Willie Poching following the end of their 2022 Super League season.

Trinity were steered away from relegation by Poching, 49, despite a difficult season in which they finished 10th, above Warrington and Toulouse.

 

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Renouf Atoni has signed with Wakefield Trinity for 2023 with an option for 2024.

 

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Wakefield hooker Liam Hood has agreed a contract extension to the end of the 2024 season.

The 30-year-old Scotland international scored six tries in 18 games for Trinity last season after joining them from Leigh Centurions.

He missed the Boxing Day friendly against Leeds Rhinos at Headingley because of a calf strain.

 

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Betfred Super League
Wakefield (0) 0
Leigh (10) 32
Tries: Charnley 2, O'Brien, Reynolds, Lam, Mellor Goals: Reynolds 4

Wakefield Trinity's nightmare start to the Super League season took a turn for the worse as they were hammered by Adrian Lam's Leigh Leopards at Belle Vue to suffer a ninth straight defeat.

First-half tries by Gareth O'Brien and Ben Reynolds were supplemented by four more after the break.

Lachlan Lam, Super League top scorer Josh Charnley - with two in quick succession - and Joe Mellor crossed.

But Wakefield's real misery was being nilled for a fifth time in nine games.

 

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Super League's bottom side Wakefield Trinity have signed former England half-back Luke Gale until the end of the 2024 season.

Gale joins Trinity after a brief spell with second-tier side Keighley Cougars, where he made three appearances.

The 34-year-old was named the Super League's Man of Steel in 2017 and played nine times for England.

 

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Betfred Super League
Wakefield (0) 6
Tries: Ashurst Goals: Dagger
Hull FC (6) 26
Tries: Swift, Tuimavave, Sutcliffe, Taylor Goals: Clifford 5

Wakefield's wretched start to the season continued as Hull FC consigned them to a 12th successive defeat.

Adam Swift scored the only try of the opening half to send the away side in with a 6-0 half-time lead.

Carlos Tumavave capitalised on lax defending to add to their advantage, before Liam Sutcliffe glided over.

Matty Ashurst crashed over to at least get the home side on the board, but the impressive Scott Taylor forced his way across to complete Hull's win.

Wakefield's terrible run equals their worst-ever sequence of Super League results.

In contrast, victory for Tony Smith's men was their third in a row and moved them up towards the top six spots.